A wide variety of cases and holders have been developed for portable electronic devices such as digital music players and cellular telephones. Many of these cases are constructed from flexible materials such as silicone or leather. These cases may have openings that provide access to the user inputs and displays of the device that is being held in the case. Unfortunately, these openings may allow the controls and displays of the device to be inadvertently activated or damaged due to their exposure. In addition, these soft cases may provide little protection for the device if it is dropped or impacted by a hard object. Hard protective cases constructed from substantially rigid metal or plastic that can withstand impacts are also known in the prior art. While these types of cases are better at protecting electronic devices from impacts, they do not provide access to the functions of the device when it is enclosed in the case. They also tend to be bulky and undesirably increase the combined weight and size of the case and portable electronic device. Therefore, what is needed is an improved case for a portable electronic device that provides protection for the device as well as access to the device's functions without substantially increasing the weight or size of the device.